Life-saving suit.



W. B. LOEWENBERG & C. LYONS.

LIFE SAVING SUIT.

' APPLICATION FILED 0018,1914.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

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IIIIIIIIIII I i and 'JDLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

WILLIAM BENNETT LOEWENBERG NncHAnLns towns, or wABAsH, INDIANA; shin LYONS ASSIGNOR TO SAID 'LOEWENBERG.

LIFE-SAVING snIT.

Application filed October 8, 1914. Serial No', 865,715.

To all whom it may concern i Be it known that we, WILLIAM Bnmni'rr LOEWENBERG and CH RLns LiroNs, citizens of the United States,\residing at lVabash, in the county'of Wabash "and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Suits; and'we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin thefart to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

Our invention .relates broadly to improvements in "life saving suits and more particu larly to face plates or masks, for use 1n connection therewith.

The main object of the invention is to provide a protecting mask for the use of persons employing certain forms of life saving suits, whereby they may be shielded from water and from the weather, thereby increasing the efliciency of devices of this general character.

In carrying out the above end, a further object of the invention becomes to provide simple means for retaining the mask in position upon the face of the user.

Yet another object, is to provide means on the mask whereby its attachment to the hood of the life saving suit may be facilitated.

With the above and minor objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described, and claimed, and shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig 3 is a front elevation of the mask and the parts carried thereby; and Fig. 4 is a detail section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawings, a life saving suit 1 is shown, which may be of any suitable construction and which is provided with a buoyant belt 2, and with a hood 3 whose forward side is open and provided with a continuous seam 4 in which'a draw string 5 is located, the free ends 6 'of said draw string depending through an opening in the lower portion of said seam. The suit 1 and the hood 3 may be formed of any suiti Specification of Letters Patent.

able water and weather proof material, preferably rather heavy duck or canvas, which is usually provided with rather heavy lining (not -shown).* The construction of the suit, pro-per, however, forms no part of the present invention and further description thereof, is therefore deemed unnecessary.

Securedwithin the opening in the front of the hood 3 is a mask? which is preferably formed of aluminum, and which is shaped to fit the face of a user, said mask being here shown as provided with a pair of breathing openings 8, and with a pair of lenses 9, the former being positioned in an outwardly bulged nose on the mask, while the latter are properly positioned to standdirectly in advance of the eyes of the user, as will be readily understood. The rear edge portion of the mask 7 is provided with a pair of spaced continuous ribs 10 between which the seam 4 is drawn by the draw string 5, the free ends 6 of said string being then tied as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. By this means, the mask is held in proper relation to the hood 3 and is secured thereto in water tight contact.

For the purpose of more readily retaining the mask in proper position upon the face, said mask is provided with a curved head band or strip 11, which curves rearwardly and downwardly from the upper central portion of said mask, and with a pair of cheek bands 12 which curve downwardly and outwardly from the band 11 and which are preferably secured to the lower end of the mask. When the parts are in operative position, the band 11 contacts with the upper and rear portions of the head of the wearer, while the bands 12 contact with the side portions of the head and with the cheeks.

The above described construction, will efl'ectively retain the mask in active position at all times, in which position, the wearer of the suit is effectively shielded against water and against the weather.

Although the masks could be furnished independently of the suits, they are preferably secured thereto by a rivet 13, which passes through the upper part of the hood and through the head band 12.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that extremely simple construction has been pro- Patented Aug.24,'1915.

vided for carrying out the objects of the invention, yet that the efficiency of the device will not be'impaired by such simplicity. Weclaim:i" e V 1. The combination with a hood having an open front'and a draw string surrounding the same, of a mask closing the open front of said hood, a pair of spaced ribs surrounding the rear edge of said mask and receiving'therebetween the draw string ofsaid hood, and a resilient head embracing 1 member carried by the mask and disposed within the hood. a g

2. The combination with a hood having an open front and a draw string surrounding-the same, of a rigid mask closing said open front, and a pair of spaced ribs surrounding the rear edge of the mask and receiving the draw string therebetween.

3. The combination with a hood having an open front and a draw string surrounding said front, of a mask closing theopen front ofthe hood, a pair of spaced ribs surrounding the rear edge of the mask and receiviiig therebetween the draw string, and

ing resilient headengaging strip secured at 1 its front end to'the mask, and additional head embracing strips depending from opposite sides of the first named strip.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM BENNETT LOEWENBERG. CHARLES LYONS.

Witnesses: D. F. BROOKS, L. A. FLINT.

Copies '01 this patent inay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner." of Patents,

' Washington, 3,0." 

